Such free-wheeling devices are known for example from DE 10 2009 037 255 A1 and DE 10 2010 053 358 A1. Free-wheeling devices, in particular roller free-wheeling devices, may allow rotation in a defined direction while rotation in the other direction may be blocked by clamping rollers which clamp onto clamping ramps. The area of application of such free-wheeling devices extends in particular to conversion or automatic transmissions in the motor vehicle sector or in corresponding industrial machines.
The roller free-wheeling device described in DE 10 2009 037 255 A1 comprises a cylindrical outer ring with clamping ramps formed on the inner surface, several clamping rollers which are spring-loaded against the clamping ramps, and a cage which is arranged rotationally fixedly in the outer ring and on which the clamping rollers are received and springs are arranged at the cage webs which serve for spring-loading of the clamping rollers. The cage webs here extend between two cage rings.
In contrast, the clamping roller free-wheeling device known from DE 10 2010 053 358 A1 has an outer ring which is driven through a predefined angle via an eye of a connecting rod in order to transmit torque to the inner ring over this angular range in clamping operation of the clamping rollers, while on a return movement of the connecting rod, the clamping roller free-wheeling device is merely overrun in idle mode. Such an eye may however also serve for stationary fixing of the outer ring. Furthermore, it is also usual for the outer ring to have a structure or geometry on its outer circumferential face which serves to fix the outer ring stationary.
Thus, for example, free-wheeling devices are used in automatic gearboxes as supporting elements and return blocks in order to perform gear switching processes. Usually, the outer ring is fixed stationary in the housing, wherein—as previously explained—this has a geometry on its outer circumferential face. The outer rings are heavily loaded by tangential forces and therefore have a solid construction. Usually, the geometry on the outer circumferential face of the outer ring is produced by broaching, splicing or hobbing. Because of this method of forming the geometry on the outer circumferential face of the outer ring, production of the outer ring is relatively time- and cost-intensive. Other methods such as sintering or forging are less common because of additional resulting disadvantages.